1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an autonomous mobile body which moves autonomously.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an autonomous mobile body which detects an obstacle using a laser range finder, and autonomously moves while avoiding interference with the detected obstacle is known. See, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-288930. As this type of autonomous mobile body, an autonomous mobile body which moves in a narrow passage so that a person can pass through is described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-140747. This autonomous mobile body detects a halt signal when a person touches an installed sensor, and moves to and stops at a halt region that is set at the edge of the passage in advance.
The halt region where the autonomous mobile body described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-140747 stops is set within the passage in advance. Nevertheless, for instance, since people continually pass through the passage in hospitals, airport lobbies and the like, it is difficult to secure a halt region in advance. Moreover, for example, since factories or warehouses are often deserted and the layout thereof is sometimes changed according to products or goods present, a significant effort is required to re-set the halt region each time the layout is changed.